High Divide, Deer Lake, Bogachiel Peak, Sol Duc Falls & High Divide - Seven Lakes Basin Loop — Saturday, Sep. 18, 2010

Olympic Peninsula > Northern Coast

Left Kitsap county at 6am to meet up with the rest of our church hiking crew. (They made the smarter choice to spend the night at the Sol Duc HotSprings Lodge!) Weather forecast was questionable, but very glad we went! Hit the trail around 8:30 am, right as the clouds were starting to burn off. Slowly climbed out of the valley and up to Heart Lake. (Bridges are out at Cross Creek, but the creek isn't flowing that deep.) Plenty of ripe berries once you hit the high country. Saw our first 3 bears of the hike around this point. Had lunch at Heart Lake, enjoying the GORGEOUS scenery. (My camera battery died, so I don't have any shots!) A little higher up the ridge, the view of Olympus was spectacular. Deep blue sky and clouds moving in and out. The stuff postcards are made of. There are even a few snowfields that have hung on through the summer. After a short trip up to Bogachiel Peak (another beautiful view, of course) we continued on, enjoying the high country. Wish we could have stayed longer, but I had to make it back to Kitsap for an evening meeting. Continued the rest of the hike with one hiking partner. About a mile after the Hoh Lakes turn off, we saw a few more bears down the ridge. Then, after the 7 Lakes trail and some interesting boulder washes we startled a good-sized black bear. It barked a warning, so we waited awhile for it to leave. Some tense moments when it ran a few steps towards us... Never carried pepper spray in the Olympics before, but I might start now. (At least for Autumn hikes in the high country.) One more close run-in with a black bear just before Lunch Lake. Joined up with two more hikers for some added bear security. Ran into quite a few overnighters along the way. Lots of people planning to fish. Deer Lake had quite a few people. At the very end, we were dazzled by Sol Duc Falls. (We'd walked right past them at the beginning of the hike!) All in all, it was a great hike. Trail is in great condition. And I made it home in time for my meeting...only to find out it had been cancelled. Should have lingered in the high country...and finished the day at the Hot Springs!